President Obama is hobbling into the final stretch of his re-election run. He has lost credibility with his public base because they feel he did not do what he promised he would. He has lost support elite fiscal base (the wealthy, business owners, and c-suite managers) because he cannot continue to follow their prescriptions which have proven only to exacerbate the gap between them and the poor and working class.

It is important to see clearly what President Obama has done, and done really well. He has made a concerted and highly focused effort to bridge the big divides. He has reached out and tried to work with those across the aisle on a range of issues seeking to achieve compromise focused on common aims. He has allowed those with power to lead, and openly given their ideas and prescriptions a chance.And he has witnessed first hand the abject failure of those efforts.

President Obama has now come face-to-face with the soul of his presidency, the question of 'how do you tend to the needs of the many, in a system that favors the needs of the few?'

To win reelection he will have to choose to be a man for the people. He must win the crowd. And he will have to communicate effectively what has changed in him to have any credibility. Following his own voice will likely pit him squarely against the powerful who are threatened by change. I submit that if the beliefs he projected in his first campaign really reflect who he is, then he knows that great leaders lead by their own compass. He knows that they while some may go kicking and screaming, his job is to lead us all to a better place.

I believe Barrack Obama is a unique and gifted person, fully capable of accomplishing what he believes in. I and many others will support him if he chooses to support us. The Wall Street protesters will. The unemployed will. The poor and disenfranchised will. Even some of the elite facing change will.  The question is will he decide to go down a path sure to be filled with scorn, to realize an ultimate glory that may not bear his name.